Devaluation of media institute deepens lack of democracy – NGO

A group of NGOs has issued a statement voicing concern over the restriction by the National Assembly leadership of the activities of journalists working inside the National Assembly building.

“The incident that took place in the National Assembly on August 24, 2021 with the involvement of the State Security Service officers was accompanied by the removal of the journalists from the lodge of the parliament session hall by the NSS officers. A similar action took place on August 11, when the broadcast of the legislator’s sitting was stopped by the order of NA Speaker Alen Simonyan, and the journalists in the lodge were removed by the NSS officers, due to which the journalists could not cover the incident in the hall. The activities of the journalists were hindered also during the August 25 sitting of the parliament, when the journalists could not cover the conflict of the deputies, they were used violence by the NSS officers,” the statement says in parts.

Restricting the work of journalists in the corridors of the parliament, especially at the sittings of the NA committees, contradicts Articles 42 and 51 of the Constitution, as well as the international obligations undertaken by Armenia (including Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights). That decision must be reconsidered; a decision must be made that does not restrict the limits of this fundamental right to proportion and reasonableness.

The statement goes on saying that freedom of speech is one of the most important components of a democratic society; restrictions on journalists’ rights, violations, their justifications, or, in general, the devaluation of the media institution deepen the lack of democracy and make it impossible to establish lasting democratic traditions.